Apparatus for making sulfuric or other acids.



' PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903.

J. G. GRAHAM. APPARATUS FOR MAKING SULPURIG OR OTHER ACIDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

no MODEL WITNESSES. INVENTOR;

No. 736,087. 7 PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903.

- J. G. GRAHAM.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SULFURIG OR OTHER ACIDS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. a1. 1903. no MODEL. 4 sums-sum 2 WITNESSES.INVENTOR. @M @w @x... ww

No. 736,087. I PATBNTED AUG. 11, 1903.

J. G. GRAHAM.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SULFURIC OR OTHER ACIDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a1, 1903. no MODEL v4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H-1 T A EU-DCIDDUD WITNESSES. I INVENTOR.

M @AA AAA ((a/W mwzdw No. 736,087. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903;

J. G. GRAHAM.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SULFURIG OR OTHER ACIDS. I

APPLIQATIQR FILED MAR. a1, 903.

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:WITNESSES. j IINVENTOR. W f "524% 4: NORRIS PETER: co PHOTO-LUNG.WASNINGYON u r STAT S Patented August 11, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SULFURIC OR OTHER ACIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,087, dated August11, 1903.

Application filed March 31,1903- Serial No. 150,456. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,JoHN GUTHRIE GRAHAM, a British subject, and aresident of Bramhall, Stockport, in the county of Chester, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for MakingSulfuric and other Acids, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of sulfuric, hydrochloric,nitric, and other acids, and is designed to provide improvements in andrelating to apparatus for readily and effectively breaking up, mixing orassimilating, and condensing the gases in such manufacture, particularlyin that of sulfuric acid.

At present in the manufacture of sulfuric acid one or more (generallythree) large ch ambers are used for the mixing and condensation of thegases into the liquid acid, which chambers cover a large space and arevery costly to erect. My invention is designed to dispense with thesechambers or where they are already erected to increase and improve theoutput from the plant.

The invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which apparatus and plant designed for the manufacture ofsulfuric acid are shown.

Figures 1 to 4: show sections of different shapes of con tact-pieces;Fig. 5, sectional elevation of my contact-column provided with theobstruction or contact pieces; Fig. 6, sectional plan of same; Fig. 7,sectional plan of flue or longitudinal chamber provided with thecontact-pieces; Fig. 8, sectional elevation of same Fig. 9, diagrammaticview of one arrangement of plant constructed entirely upon my contactsystem; Fig. 10, plan of same; Fig. 11, diagrammatic view of plant,showing my contact-column used as an adjunct to the old chamber.

The old sulfuric-acid chambers, which it is the main purpose of thisinvention to avoid, were required for the mixing and assimilatin g ofthe various gases-Viz.,the sulfur dioxid, steam, and nitrogentrioxidused in its mane ufacture. In place ofthese chambers and for thesame purpose I now form flues, passages, or columns provided with anumber of contact or obstruction pieces placed across such passages,fines, or columns to break and mix prefer to use glass) and are ofangular, semicircular, channel, or other section, as shownin Figs. 1 to4. The internal surfaces may be corrugated, as shown, to aid thebreakingup and I assimilating, or they may be smooth.

Fig. 5 shows the contact-pieces arranged in a column or tower. Theframework of this column is constructed of a wooden or other cage A,similar to that of an ordinary Glover or Gay Lussac tower, and linedwith lead in the same way. Inside this column brackets or ridges B areformed all around at fixed intervals. contact-pieces G are laid side byside across the column somelittle distance apart to permit of the gasespassing between them. Upon the top of this row of contact-pieces anotherrowis laid at right angles, and so on to the top of the tower, theridges or brackets B being fixed at intervals, so that the whole weightwill not come on the bottom row. The column may be made with a tank Rfor acid at the top, which passing down through the column aids thecondensation, and sprinklers or radiators S may be employed fordistributing the acid. The base is formed with the usual turn-up D forcollecting the liquid acid as it is formed. In working the gases aredrawn up through the tower and they are broken up, mixed or assimilated,and condensed by means of the free longitudinal edges E and the angularor other form of the contact-pieces.

In Fig. 7 the contact-pieces are shown as applied to ahorizontalflue orchamber F. In this form they are preferably all arranged vertically withtheir free longitudinal edges E facing in the direction against the flowof the gases. They are so arranged that each row breaks joint with thatbefore and behind it, so that there is no through passage for the gases.This chamber in the same way as the columnis provided with a turn-up tocollect the condensed acid.

Figs. 5 and 7 show only two ways of applying the contact-pieces; butthey may be applied in any other convenient way according to thecircumstances of the particular case.

In Figs. 9 and 10 a complete sulfuric-acid Upon these brackets or ledgesthe 1 plant constructed according to my invention is shown. The burnersII and niter-chambcr J are connected by a suitable flue K to the Gloveror concentrating tower L, from whence the gases pass into a horizontalchamber or fine F, constructed according to my invention withvertically-arranged contact-pieces, as shown in Fig. 7. This chamberalso acts as a reservoir for the condensed acid being formed with a highturn-up and into which the turn-ups of all the towers drain. Thischamber or flue may be of any suitable dimensions, preferably aboutsixty or seventy feet long, seven feet high,and fifteen to thirtytwofeet wide. From this flue the gases pass through a number ofcontact-columns 1 2 3 4 5 6, constructed as shown in Fig. 5, and thenumber of which depends upon the quantity of acid to be produced. For asmall plant three are sufficient. columns are approximately eight feetsquare by twenty-five to forty feet high. After passing through thetowers the gases pass into the ordinary Gay Lussac or absorber tower Nand thence to the chimney or stack 0.

In this plant I find that the reduction in chamber-space compared to theold system is from fifty to sixty per cent. and the reduction in cost oferection is between fifty and sixty per cent.

Fig. 11 shows the contact-column used as an adjunct of the old chamber.As before, H are the burners, J the niter-chamber, L the Glover tower,but from this the gases pass into the chamber P. Thence they pass intothe contact-column Q and to the Gay Lussac tower N and chimney O, asbefore.

I find that by using my column as an adjunct to an existing plant, usingthe old The dimensions of the chambers, the output of acid from a set ofburners can be increased about thirty-three per cent. or more 111 themanufacture of hydrochloric, nitric, and other acids, where 'it isnecessary that the gases should be broken up, mixed, orassimilated, orcondensed,the contact or obstruction pieces may be arranged in anysuitable column, chamber, or flue, so as best to obtain. the desiredresult, in a manner similar to that described for sulfuric acid.

I am aware that contact-pieces have heretofore been arranged inacid-condensing columns to break up and mix the gases and, therefore,make no claim, broadly, to thesame, my present invention residing in thelongitudinal trough -shaped contactpieces arranged transversely in thechamber or tower.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to protect by Letters Patent,is-

111 an apparatus forthe manufacture of sulfuric and other acids, thecombination with a chamber and means for passing a current of acid gasestherethrough, of contact-pieces trough shaped in cross section arrangedtransversely in and extending entirely across said chamber, the hollowsides of said contact-pieces being corrugated anddisposed toward the inflowing gases, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

Dated this 17th day of March, 1903.

JNO. G. GRAHAM.

\Vitnesses V J. OWDEN OBRIEN, 13. LATHAM' WoonnnAn.

